Similar report, 1-09-07, same BS: http://www.debt-consolidation-credi...forums/showthread.php?t=261440&highlight=Afni "Fiance just got a collection letter in mail from AFNI. This is for a Verizon land line in a county about 2hrs from where we live. Well being mad he called them up. It was from 1996-1998 for 759$. We got the address that it went to. We never lived near there and pinpointed it to step-mom. We have proof of where he lived in that time frame but AFNI told him to file police report, send copy of photo id with s.s.# and docs of proof of residency. We also talked to Verizon and the lady told us that you can just call for landline # and give ss# and if no red flags come up they connect it. So nothing was signed. And she said with this being old and sold she has no record in her computer but may have it in another dept." Afni "says" it was at address that consumer identifies as that of step-mom, but without Verizon's original account information directly from Verizon, can you trust that? Thru Accurint, and other databases, Afni would have access to addresses of similar names, but also could follow addresses of people that at one time had common addresses with a name. Afni has shown a propensity to claim accounts were "relative id theft", which may be less likely to result in a police report being filed, and may be more likely to be paid even by consumers who do not owe anything but don't want to get a relative into trouble. It might be worth checking with Verizon's fraud department to confirm the actual address originally associated with the account, to see whether Verizon, or Afni, is the origin of the alleged relative's address. "And fiance sister who works for a collection agancy is telling him that date of last activity falls on date that AFNI bought it so it can report on CR also. She said she collects on 10 yr old accounts and reports themeven if no payment." Another CA drone doesn't get it. A reply: "I have the same problem with them and when I gave them my SS# they corrected the SS# saying the numbers was enter wrong. If I didn't give the correct SS#! I would have it off already!!" Other consumers have reported (via ripoffreport.com, for example) that Afni has "corrected" the SSN associated with the alleged debt, when they provided their identity info to dispute and prove it wasn't their debt.
Bud Hibbs appears to have notice the upsurge in complaints against Afni: http://www.budhibbs.com/debtcollectorpages/AFNI.htm "... CONSUMER ALERT: Feb. 2007 CONSUMERS ARE WARNED NOT TO FALL FOR THEIR SCAM OF ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT ON TIME BARRED DEBTS FROM VERIZON/GTE ACCOUNTS THAT DATE BACK TO THE EARLY 90'S. AFNI CANNOT SUE ON THESE DEBTS, THEY CANNOT REPORT THEM ON YOUR CREDIT FILES. AFNI IS HURTING FOR COLLECTION ACCOUNTS & PAID PENNIES FOR THIS WORTHLESS PORTFOLIO, HOPING TO CASH IN. THIS IS A SCAM -- YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY ON THESE OLD, OUTDATED ACCOUNTS! ... 2007 looks to offer a lot of surprises in the collection industry. AFNI is giving themselves and Verizon a bad name by collecting and threatening on these old, worthless debts. ..." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Some consumer comments from that site. Same BS "debts" from Afni. "... February 2, 2007 Well after reading here about AFNI I realized something has to be done about these scammers, Upon financing my house in 07', my mortgage lender called me and said I have an unpaid derogatory acct on my report from AFNI. from Charter communication. A call to AFNI told me it was from 1988 to 2003, in Oregon. I havenâ??t lived in Oregon since 1997, and had never heard of Charter. I was told that the acct opened in 1988 and disconnected in 1989 with a $300 dollar balance. They said they could not send me a copy of the bill since they sold it to AFNI. But with some determination I found someone from charter that did. Now AFNI wants to see it stating that they are receiving wrong info from charter, itâ??s still an ongoing battle even though it is a time barred bill. After buying two homes since 1989. It just now shows up on my credit reports in 2007 wow!!. Next step is to hire an attorney which i will.. A big scam is going on in America with the American people what do we do??? ..." 1) "A call to AFNI told me it was from 1988 to 2003" turns out to be "the acct opened in 1988 and disconnected in 1989 " Note the "weasel words". Technically, "1988 to 1989" is from "1988 to 2003", but they have a better chance collecting on a debt allegedly from 2003, which is probably both reportable and maybe within SOL, than on one from 1989! Long past SOL, but first they represented otherwise. 2) "After buying two homes since 1989. It just now shows up on my credit reports in 2007 wow!!. " Re-aging. 3) "They [Charter] said they could not send me a copy of the bill since they sold it to AFNI." " I found someone from charter that did." What exactly does "could not" mean? How do they expect Afni to comply with validation requests? Or FACTA disputes? 4) "Now AFNI wants to see it stating that they are receiving wrong info from charter, " Afni knew it was disconnected in 1989, but they still reported recently. Also note that the re-aged account showed up right after financing a mortgage. Afni may be using access to mortgage inquiry leads from the CRAs. "... January 27, 2007 I like hundreds of others have received a collections letter from Afni for Verizon Communications for money I don't owe. How can we stop this abuse? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- January 12, 2007 It seems that LOTS of people are getting collection notices from AFNI on bogus Verizon paper. Almost makes one wonder if maybe Boyajian dumped his fake Verizon "debts" (the ones that he tried to collect on dated years before Verizon existed) on this other bottom feeder, because the complaints almost mirror the Boyajian ones. ..." "... Afni, Inc Bloomington, IL December 05, 2006 My story is similar to your other Afni, Inc. complaint. I recently received a letter claiming I owed a small sum to Charter Communications on a 1997 reconnect of cable services in a house I sold in 1997. The notice letter had an incorrect social security number on it. The agent was rude, evasive and would not let me speak until I finally had to tell her to shut up. She tried to lecture me in that I had avoided this through several different companies' attempts at collection though: 1) this letter was the first notice I had ever received on this; 2) I have lived a couple of blocks away from that address since 1997; and 3) I have a current account with Charter (same name, same SS#). She hung up on me and I immediately called back and talked with another agent who told me I had to make a written dispute. I have done so and since the dispute is so old, I added "cease and desist" language. ..." Out of statute, not reportable, wrong SSN, house had been sold before delinquent account had been set up. Appears that they matched the account address with the former homeowner, and then dunned them. Does not appear that the original account was originally in this consumer's name, as Charter had no problem opening a new account at consumer's new address, Charter did NOT bill consumer for delinquent account, and delinquent account had a different SSN. Several statements that were probably deceptive: "... Anderson Financial Network Inc. aka AFNI March 28, 2006 I requested my annual free credit report. I had a couple of inaccuracies and disputed them. TranUnion was a pain to try to get my report online. I finally received it. I was notified by my credit monitoring company that there was recent activity on my consumer report. I logged on and discovered in the 8 days that I requested and received online my TransUnion report, there was a company reporting something on me called AFni. I contacted TU and was given the contact number and address of this company. Needless to say I was asked for my SS# (in which I replied I would give him mine if he gave me his first.) He proceeds to tell me about a debt from Charter Communications. This debt according to him was from 1999. I told him the SOL was up. He said not until June 06. After reading rip-off reports it sounds like they just acquired a bunch of Charter Communication accounts from some place and are trying to collect. I never once was contacted by this company for anything. I was never given the opportunity to even dispute it. I was told they had just received the account, but when questions were fired at the rep, he then told me they sent a letter to my home, and if I had moved then I didn't get the letter so it was placed on my credit file. I then asked when they sent the letter and I was told in 2001. I told him he was full of ****. I asked him how that could be possible because less than a minute ago I was told they had just received the account. I asked for verification verbally and was told it would do no good anyway, by the time I got the information the SOL would be up anyway and that it was my responsibility to furnish to them proof the debt was paid. Is this deadbeat slime company going to the next agency added to Bud Hibbs? They are scum!!!! ..." 1) "from 1999. I told him the SOL was up. He said not until June 06." Does any state have a 7 year SOL? I could not find any state with a 7 year SOL. (No allegation this is a judgement.) http://www.carreonandassociates.com/articles/collectionlaws.htm 2) "I was told they had just received the account, but when questions were fired at the rep, he then told me they sent a letter to my home, and if I had moved then I didn't get the letter so it was placed on my credit file. I then asked when they sent the letter and I was told in 2001. "..."I asked him how that could be possible because less than a minute ago I was told they had just received the account. " Caught in a lie. No FDCPA notification letter sent. Afni didn't even have the account when they claim they sent a letter. Consumer contacted Afni based on credit report information. Attempt to defeat consumer's dispute and validation rights. 3) "I asked for verification verbally and was told it would do no good anyway, by the time I got the information the SOL would be up anyway and that it was my responsibility to furnish to them proof the debt was paid. " Representation that consumer has no right to dispute or request validation. Implication is that SOL is not up, and that they will do something (presumably sue) before it is, so consumer better not risk that by requesting validation. "SOL" referred to could not erroneously be CRA credit reporting period, since that would only mean account would fall off credit report, with no negative consequences, where the above representation implies negative consequences. Attempt to defeat consumer's dispute and validation rights.
Afni just entered my list of FAVORITE companies... You would think when they have a complaint delivered EXPRESS MAIL RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED, which reminds them that the account is under a CEASE of communications demand; that the last thing that they would want to do is continue to try to collect... BUT, today I get two SUPPOSED statements (- hack job which looked like it was printed in Word - not only that but the supposed 1998 statement is labeled with the alleged original creditors year *2000* and beyond identity - so I have proof that the alleged validation is fake -) with a CHAUDRY "this letter confirms the original creditor and balance." PAY UP. Gee, that doesn't seem like one of the three permissible communications to me... Time to do major updating of the complaint...
I see your point. The Chaudry letter, and demand for payment WAS included. Hence violation of the C&D. If it was in reply to your dispute and validation request, and that was all it was (no demand for payment, no payment envelope included, etc.), then a court might not find it a violation of your C&D, since you had in fact requested it. Similar to how the courts have resolved the requirements between notifying the consumer that this is an attempt to collect a debt, and the requirement against disclosure to third parties, when a voicemail is left. If you had send a timely validation request, even with a C&D, then sending some "validation" would be a prerequisite to at least some of the choices of response to your C&D, such as suing. But "continued collection" might not be one of those choices. Is this one of the currently popular Afni/GTE-Verizon "accounts" from the mid 1990s? What exactly did they provide in their "statement"? It sounds like it was "reconstructed" from presumably electronic records, either by Afni, or by Verizon. Did it include all the information you would expect to find in a real contemporaneously prepared statement, including account numbers, date, consumer's billing address, all the tax itemizations, etc? Was there any non-contemporaneous "information" included, such as a consumer billing address matching your current address that would not have been valid at the alleged time? Did they include an "affidavit" of any sort?
i have seen several samples of afni letters on sprint accounts that are more recent than those being discussed here...the person sent in a c&d and vod letter and received back the name address and balance on acct and a statement that they ''verified the debt'' and in another sentence they deemed the dispute to be resolved and collection activity will continue...the person disputing the account sent in a total of 4 vod letters and afni sent back the same letter each time, but with the last letter actually sent the entire last bill to the sprint account...i agree afni is bad and their tactics are not any better
The large number of complaints from consumers dunned for debts they do not owe indicates a lack of accurate identification and location information. From numerous reports, Afni appears to have taylored their responses to continue collection even where common sense would indicate they have located the wrong person. As you noted, "verifying the debt" by sending only the name, address and validation on the account, is NOT validation obtained from the original creditor and forwarded to the consumer, for the purpose of determining and resolving any errors, as was intended by Congress when they wrote FDCPA. To represent that it is, in response to an FDCPA validation request, is deceptive, particularly when measured against a standard of whether such a response is likely to result in collection of money from people who do not owe it. They could have chosen to conduct business in a manner likely to eliminate collection from erroneously dunned consumers, yet they have intentionally chosen not to, whether by responses such as the above, or by demanding that consumers (and law enforcement) jump thru hoops in filing "identity theft" reports and providing identity information on accounts that are most likely misidentifications by Afni itself.
a dispute received by a ca within the initial 30 day dispute period: "must cease collection until the debt collector obtains verification of the debt or any copy of a judgment, or the name and address of the original creditor, and a copy of such verification or judgment, or name and address of the original creditor, is mailed to the consumer by the debt collector." a general example would be a signed contract last 3 statements on the account. after the 30 day dispute period a ca only has to provide the name address and balance and verify it with the creditor
A signed contract and the last 3 statements is all too rare a response to a validation request, particularly on OOS debt. Complaints of fabrications of one sort or another are more common. And where do you derive a requirement even to "verify it with the creditor" after 30 days? FACTA, and only if it is being reported? What next? Buy a bunch of old debt, "match" it against names from states with long SOLs, and just sue everyone? Why waste your time with the deadbeat "John Smith" from CA, when you could turn the debt back into an "in statute" debt and go after someone who might even have good credit and pay their bills, so they might pay just to make you go away?
On complaintboards.com, Afni is number 3 in the top 5 worst rated, at (-94), and is number 2 in the top 5 "wide speculation", at (72). It is creating a complaint footprint comparable to the one on ripoffreport.com. http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/3894/page/4 Here is one: "Wow, I can't believe how many people have stories similar to mine. I got a "settlement offer" from Afni regarding AT&T Long Distance. on Thursday. I've had Sprint for as long as I can remember, so it seemed odd. I called Friday -- the number listed was 888-804-2409, and there are two addresses listed: PO Box 3427, Bloomington, IL 61702 and Department 555, PO Box 4127, Concord, CA 94524. After waiting 20 minutes I spoke with a woman who told me the charges stemmed from 1993 -- and were for a phone number that wasn't mine at the time. What I loved about this operator is that even after I told her the number wasn't mine, she still said I had the option of settling. Yeah, right, I love paying bills that aren't mine just because someone asks me for the money! ..." Again, the issue is NOT whether they are likely to get away with any particular tactic, but whether the overall pattern of their activities indicates that they are deliberately attempting to collect money from people they know, or should know, don't owe it, a la CAMCO. And here is a clue about the source: "I just spoke to Verizon they advised they have sold AFNI in bulk accounts that where outstanding, because a statute of limitations clause was removed. Per Verizon billing rep "They can now go back and collect debt from when or where they choose, we just had an instance where a customer called about a collections letter from AFNI in her deceased fathers name dated back to 1953 and he passed away 15 years ago". ..." The SOL comment by the Verizon rep is of course nonsense. It may mean only that whereas in the past Afni mainly collected on in-statute Verizon debts, they now buy old junk too. Looks like Verizon just dumped a lot of old accounts on Afni, and Afni is using the usual location and collection tactics they are known for. To Verizon, they may have just been old "GTE" bad debts, but when Afni dunns consumers, they have Verizon's name on them. I wonder how happy Verizon's current customers will be when they are dunned by their partner Afni for debts not owed. Afni and Verizon are not exactly "arms-length", as Afni call centers handle a lot of Verizon's normal customer service.
There appears to be something that would appear to be a breakdown. But it's indiscernible as to whom the documentation came from; there's no logo or anything which would indicate who it supposedly came from, but given that 4 years ago, they couldn't come up with even one page of validation, after having months to dig it up, and now they supposedly come up with 18 pages of 2 supposed statements within a week, my guess is that AFNI created the invoice from their own systems. No affidavit surprisingly...
What dates do the statements allegedly cover? What consumer account information do they show? Consumer's billing address? Account number? Phone number for this account? What, if anything, on the statements indicates what the source of them was? Does anything in any of their reply claim this was "obtained from the original creditor", as required by FDCPA? http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fdcpa/letters/wollman.htm
Nothing claims that it was obtained from the original creditor. It only has the basic contact information on it; name, address, etc. Nov 98 & Dec 98... Like I said, I gave the EXECUTIVE OFFICES months to have their highest levels of management try to track down anything to validate the account 4 years ago; and now 4 years later they can magically produce something that they can pass off as an invoice, in under a week (The OC couldn't even mail them anything in under a week.) It's also interesting that the documentation does not match the amount of the debt that they are claiming, and not just by $1.00 or $2.00 -- but by 14% -- $500.00. So much for confirming the balance of the account.
From Dec 1998, it would not be reportable. Is it past SOL in your state? What do they accomplish by validating after receiving a C&D?
This pretty much sums up what Afni is up to: http://www.complaints.com/2007/january/12/AFNI_Collection_Agency__IL_15125.htm "From: Frey, Date: Friday, 12-Jan-07 08:59:35 CST I also received a letter from AFNI, INC., of Bloomington, IL stating it is â??in my best interestâ? to pay them $62.05 for a telephone bill that is in collections from NJ. I have never lived in NJ so I called them to tell me it wasnâ??t my bill, that it was a mistake. When I called them, they asked me for my Social Security Number to prove it is not my bill. I did not give it to them, but later called Verizon directly and verified the account is not mine. What these folks do is send threatening letters off the cuff to anyone and everyone in the country who â??mightâ? pay the amount and they keep a percentage of it. When searching this AFNI company, I found other complains about them on your web site, and others. ...'' Another bogus bill: http://www.complaints.com/2007/january/6/Afni__inc_15123.htm "Afni, inc From: NanaPenrod@aol.com Date: Saturday, 06-Jan-07 17:02:19 CST The address we got for them is different from jb from Texas. The address we got was PO box 3427 Bloomington, IL. We received a bill for verizon communication for $762.51 and we have never received a bill nor have we ever heard of this number. We have had our own cell phone for 10 years why we get another. RJ in Southern California " But it didn't just start with this recent upsurge in complaints. Same M.O.: http://www.complaints.com/2006/may/19/AFNI_Collection_Agency_15126.htm "From: Gto911@aol.com Date: Friday, 19-May-06 10:00:09 CDT AFNI Bloomington, IL. In April 2006 I received a bill from AFNI demanding $250.33 supposedly from a past due Cingular Wireless Account. I first contacted Cingular who confirmed that the acount was closed, paid in full, never written off to collection, and that Cingular did not use AFNI for collections. I notified AFNI of the facts and was told to produce written verification. How does one produce verification of something that doesn't exist? After many letters to AFNI, none of which were returned, I again called to inquire as to the status of the account, it was still open, and in fact there had been another account added for $883.86 also supposedly owed to Cingular. Through my own investigation I have determined that there is an individual with a similar name as mine but a different SSN who actually owes this debt. Apparently AFNI is not able to cross reference names and SSN's. AFNI has gone as far as instructing me to fraudulently file a police report for "identity theft" as proof that I dont owe AFNI this debt. State of Illinois Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission needs to investigate the practices of AFNI as they probably violate FDCPA regulations. " Note the claim that they would get a judgement if she didn't pay, on a 14 year old alleged debt. Also note the access to SSN, unmarried and married names, various addresses, etc, all on an alleged account she never opened and had never been billed for. http://www.complaints.com/directory/2005/june/4/13.htm "Afni collection agency 404 brock dr. p.o. box 3427 bBoomington, I.L. 61702-3427 Today I got a letter form afni collect. agency. They said I owed $101.41 from Sprint a bill not paid back in 1991. I don't recall ever having sprint as my long distant calling service. I lived in Fl. in 91 and moved to Ga. in 92. Under my newly married name they had my daughter's former address here in Ga. and my address under hers. I called these people and I told her I have never gotten a bill from sprint and never used them. The letter said they would get a judgement against me if I did not pay. I said you mean to tell me you are billing me for a bill I do not owe and never got a bill for it after 14 years! She said she could bill me no matter how long it had been and that she was not doing anything wrong. She had the last four digits of my ss on the letter and knew my name befor I got marriedand belfore. I am baffled about this and do not know what to do. This is ridicolus after 14 years. I have a clean credit record and would like to clear this matter up. Can you help me get to the right people to handle this? Thanks, Sandra" A year an a half ago, different alleged O.C., but same M.O.: http://www.complaints.com/directory/2005/october/8/32.htm AFNI, Inc. October 8, 2005 I recently completed an annual credit check, and I noticed an account for AFNI, Inc. in collection from Dish Network from November of 2004. They list their address as PO Box 3097, Bloomington, IL 61702. They are billing me for $152 according to my credit report, but I have never recieved any letters from them, and most importantly, I HAVE NEVER HAD DISH NETWORK. I dont know what to do, Please help. JB in Texas" Same B.S., only 2 years ago: http://www.complaints.com/directory/2005/february/20/5.htm "afni. collection agency I recieved a letter in the mail from AFNI. /404 Brock Drive/P.O. Box 3427/Bloomington, IL 61702 I looked them up on here and some other people have complained saying they recieved phony bills from this same company. My letter says that Cingular needs around 900 dollars from me but they will accept only half. This makes no sense. I have no idea what they are even talking about. They claim they have made "several" attempts to contact me regarding this matter. This is the first time I ever got anything by them in my life. Its phony. I have no idea how they got personal information about me but frankly, that scares me a little. Its comforting to know that other people have made the same complaints about this "company". Thank you. -J .Ross " Note that most complaints are that the consumer NEVER had such an account. In some cases the O.C. has verified either that there is no account in this consumer's name, or that any account was paid in full. In one of the cases above, the names are similar, but different SSN. Afni is dunning purely on name information, with no allowance for the resulting common errors in identification. They attempt to put the burden of their own mistakes onto the consumer. Note also that the tactics have changed little over the years. What is new is that the volume of complaints from consumers that claim they are being dunned for accounts that are not theirs has risen steeply over the last month.
Another example of the accuracy of their "skip-tracing": http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/3894/page/4 "I checked my credit on experian and found that this scam of a company had given me a negative report. They said I owed Dish Network $167, when I called Dish they said my account was current and that I had no other accounts. Long story short, the people at afni wanted a copy of my ssc and driver's license, which I refused to give. They also said it was "probably another person with the same name." Apparently they report to credit agencies with name only "
SOL would have hit at 2002... But hey, let them keep violating... Considering that they probably paid $30 for the alleged account, in hopes of hitting a gold mine, and that most consumer's don't know anything about the FDCPA, they don't have anything to fear in violating most times.
Their standard response to callers insisting it is not their account, again based on multiple consumer reports, appears to be "It must be id theft. Either file a police report, fraud affidavit, and send copies of all your identification and proof of where you lived, or you have to pay it." There are at least 3 reports of such responses to debts alleged to be owed by people who were minors between 8 and 12 at the time, which would be easily verifiable as not legitimate based only on DOB obtained either thru credit reports or Accurint, both of which Afni is known to use, and are probably the sources of their erroneous name matching in the first place. Once they have reason to know it is not legitimate, yet demand payment anyway, they cross into FDCPA "use of deception to collect a debt".
The following appears to be their standard reply to validation letters, as there have been multiple reports of similar responses. The whole dance appears pre-scripted and choreographed to maximize collection potential even though their dunning based on "name matching" is highly error prone. Always keep the debt "in play", and under collection pressure. But with a timely validation request, debt collection must be stopped until validation from the OC is obtained and sent to the consumer. No validation has been provided, and they admit they can't provide it. Never the less, they demand identity and other information, and imply the "investigation" cannot be completed until it is provided, leaving the account "open". In effect, they are deceptively claiming the consumer must "prove" they don't owe the debt, however that can be done on a "debt" they haven't provided any information on, but that they will still get to decide whether that proof is enough. If this letter includes the standard required "This is an attempt to collect a debt, and any information provided may be used for that purpose", does that make this request for information clearly "continued collection" without validation? http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/3894/page/4 "I have indeed heard back from AFNI after having sent them a DEBT VALIDATION LETTER (Certified, return receipt requested and in accordance with the FDCPA). In the letter I requested they validate the debt and provide any and all documentation as well as stating the debt was not mine. The letter I received back was again a bill that stated they could NOT provide verification of the debt at this time but needed more information from me including a copy of my driver's license, ID page of my passport, proof of payment of the debt, such as a receipts--basically nothing that I would or could provide them. How do you provide receipts for a service you never had? How does sending them my sensitive private information help them if, as I suspect, they have nothing to compare it to? I am beyond furious. I am now scouring the FDCPA because their refusal to provide any documentation on the Verizon "debt" seems they have violated the law. The onus is on them to prove the debt and so far they seem unwilling. I would be interested to know if any other people who sent such a letter have received anything back. I absolutely agree that the news media needs to be involved with this, as it is the only way to fully expose the harm AFNI, or whoever is perpetrating this scam, is inflicting on such a widespread group of people." Similar report of same response to a validation request. No validation provided, just throw it back on the consumer. The consumer has "provided insufficient information to substantiate" his claim. No details of the account, account period, billing address, account number, or anything at all, are even provided. http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff236239.htm Category: Collection Agency's Submitted: 2/17/2007 6:31:15 PM Modified: 2/18/2007 11:46:37 AM Afni On Verizon Account Ludicrous reply to demand for debt validation, will they ever give up? Bloomington Illinois *Consumer Suggestion ..C Company Afni Address: 404 Brock Drive Bloomington Illinois 61702 U.S.A. Phone Number: 866-857-7203 Fax: The first letter we received by AFNI stated we owe $852.23 for a Verizon accout we have never had. Who wants to pay that much for something you never had, right? We certainly did not, so we sent a letter requesting a debt validation letter in return from them. Frustratingly, this is what we received back from them: "We have received your dispute but we are unable to investigate at this time. You have provided insufficient information to substantiate your claim. We will complete our investigation within 30 days of receipt of the following information: >Specific information you dispute >An explanation of the basis of your dispute >All supporting documentation to substantiate your claim. Examples may include but is not limited to, photocopy of your driver's license, the identification page of your passport, proof of residency at time of service, receipts, etc. >A valid phone number to contact you. Please call our office to resolve this matter..." Not that I would send them any info, but can anyone with any common sense tell me how I could send proof of a debt that I do not owe? I don't have receipts to prove I did NOT purchase something. I can't tell them I didn't even live in the state the phone service was provided because, since it was never mine, I have no idea when the period of service even was. This is a farce! It is beyond me that it would be legal for them to be able to send a letter that places the onus on ME to disprove a debt that I never incurred. I am probably not alone, since many have probably sent their debt validation requests, is this how they AFNI is replying to others? C Denver, Colorado U.S.A."
